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NZTA Waka Kotahi is proposing a 78 per cent cut to funding for median barriers on the Wellsford to Whangārei stretch of State Highway 1, due to changes in government priorities.
The Northland Regional Council (NRC) says NZTA proposes cutting combined funding earmarked for the installation of median barriers along two sections of SH1 from $45 million to $10 million in the 2024-2027 period. As a result of the proposal, NRC has reopened a consultation process on its draft Regional Land Transport Programme (RLTP).
Public consultation on the RLTP had closed on March 15, but NRC member Joe Carr says new public consultation is legally required in the event that “significant changes” (amounting to at least $7 million per project) are made to financial figures after consultation has closed.
As that had happened in this case, a new public consultation is required – on this specific issue only. It will run until May 29.
Carr, who chairs the Northland Regional Transport Committee, says NZTA informed council that it had amended some of the safety proposals in the draft document, as a result of “changes in government priorities and funding”.
The two affected SH1 sections are in the “southern tranche” of the motorway, which runs from Wellsford to the southern side of the Brynderwyn Hills, and in the “central tranche”, a 17 km stretch from Port Marsden Highway to the northern end of the Brynderwyns.
According to NZTA, flexible median barriers can reduce deaths and serious injuries by up to 65 percent.
They prevent head-on collisions, which is how most people are killed or seriously injured on NZ roads.
Carr says NZTA advised council that the redirected funding will go towards other State Highway safety initiatives, including implementing lower cost safety retrofits in high-risk locations.
It will also go towards improvements such as accelerating four-laning of the motorway from Wellsford to Whangārei, as part of the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) initiative.
“We are seeking submissions from Northlanders to inform us whether they agree or disagree with these proposals and to provide us with their comments.”
An NZTA spokesperson says the agency cannot comment specifically on future planning and funding for individual projects until the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS) is finalised in the coming months.
The GPS includes expectations for NZTA to deliver safety improvements via the RoNS programme, enhanced maintenance and other priority safety projects that focus on high risk locations.
NZTA included a summary of its RoNS position, including potential funding options and proposed delivery timeframes, in its State Highway Investment Proposal, released on April 12.
Once the GPS is finalised, NZTA will provide further advice on how it intends to deliver against the government’s expectations and priorities, in the lead up to adopting the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), which will confirm the project priority and funding.
NZTA expects the NLTP to be adopted in late August.
Submissions on the Northland RLTP can be made to: submissions@nrc.govt.nz
More info: northlandproject@nzta.govt.nz
